Conan's Choice
by Janet Martini de La Ley
Summary: Conan Edogawa is tired of having two lives and needs to choose between them: life as Conan or life as Jimmy Kudo. He made a choice and has to live with how it affected everyone Conan and Jimmy loved and cared about.
1. Conan's Choice

**Conan's Choice**

It's been almost five years since Jimmy Kudo was last seen. Rachel Moore is twenty-two years old and is in college now, thinking about a future without him, but at night she still dreams about him. Jimmy calls her on weekends and they talk, but that is all. Rachel is depressed about being in love with a boy who is never around and tired of the emptiness.

Jimmy, a.k.a. twelve year old Conan Edogawa the seventh grader, is also starting to get sick and tired of going back and forth with his two lives. Dr. Agasa still hasn't figured out how to turn Conan back into a teenager permanently yet. His life is pretty dull and simple since he's reliving childhood. His days are spent hanging around comic book stores or other places with his friends George, Mitch, and Amy. Conan was finally able to live with his parents again since they moved back to Tokyo, so he has not seen Rachel for ages and also has not helped her father, Richard Moore, solve anymore mysteries. People still go to Rachel's father for help, but it just hasn't been the same. Conan was beginning to think of a life without Rachel too.

**-----**

It was Friday and the bell had just rung saying school was over. Conan started to rush out the door, but then someone grabbed his arm to hold him back. He turned around and found Amy looking at him shyly.

"Can you walk home with me," she asked him.

"Uh… sure?"

"Alone?" This surprised Conan. Everyday he and the gang usually walked home together and stopped at an arcade to play games. Never had Conan walked with Amy alone, so why did she want to now?

"Sure," he replied nervously. They set off for Amy's house and walked quietly almost all the way. Then she broke the silence.

"Do you like anyone in school?" This question also took Conan by surprise.

"No," he answered honestly. Silence filled the air for awhile longer. Then Conan felt her grab his hand, which was closed in a fist.

"I really like you Conan." He looked at her but she was looking down at her feet. Conan had a warm feeling inside him, the feeling he usually got when he was around Rachel, but he didn't know why he felt this way with Amy. He opened his fist and held her hand too. They walked hand in hand until they reached Amy's house. He went to the front door with her and they stood there for a moment. Conan was staring at their intertwined hands, then suddenly Amy leaned in and their lips were touching. Conan didn't know what to do, but she had stopped before he could do anything.

"I really like you Amy," he heard himself say. Their lips touched again, but that time Conan had leaned in first. After they pulled apart they heard Amy's mother calling her in. Amy let go of his hand and went through the door.

Conan walked home blushed. On his route home he had to go through the street where Rachel lived. He saw her walking toward the building and she saw him too. She smiled and waved at him. Conan waved back and stopped at the corner. Rachel went inside as Conan watched her, and then he sighed.

When Conan got home he did his homework in a flash since he knew all the material. Then afterwards he went outside and started kicking a soccer ball around in his backyard, thinking about his dual lives.

'I want Rachel to be happy,' he thought, 'to not worry about me. She always seems sad when I see her and sounds depressed on the phone when I talk to her. I love her… but I've begun to love Amy too. I have to make a choice. Do I want to wait and live as Jimmy with Rachel, or stay as Conan with Amy?'

By dinnertime he finally made his decision, but he had to let his parents know, so he made the announcement.

"I'm going to give up on my life as Jimmy Kudo." His parents stared at him wide-eyed while he spoke. "I'm going to grow up again and live a new life as Conan Edogawa." His parents were speechless, but his father decided to comment.

"Well, if that's your choice, then we'll have to support you, Conan."

"Are you both ok with my decision?" His parents nodded. 'Still,' thought Conan, 'I'd like to spend one last night with Rachel.'

**-----**

Around noon on Saturday Conan went to Dr. Agasa's house to discuss his choice.

"Can you inject me with enough of that growth serum to last me about thirty hours?"

"I guess so," replied Dr. Agasa, "but why Conan?" Conan started to get a little anxious and felt that tingling feeling inside him again as he thought of the answer.

"I want to spend one last day with Rachel. Then I want to fake my death."

"You want to what?"

"It's really complicated. If I just break up with Rachel she'll still want to be friends with me, so she'll want to keep in touch, but I want to erase that part of my life completely. If I'm dead I'll just not exist. I'll only be a memory and as time goes by she'll forget all about me. After that I'll only have one life, and unfortunately it has to be without Rachel."

"Well, if that's what you really want to do then ok, I'll help you."

"For right now my plan is to be with Rachel. I don't know how I'm going to fake my death yet."

"Ok, I have the serum right here." Dr. Agasa had produced a needle filled with clear liquid. Conan looked away as he was given the shot. Then for a few heart and head pounding moments of pain Conan twitched on the floor. After one really big head throb he passed out.

Dr. Agasa used smelling salts to awaken him after the transformation was complete. Conan looked at his older self and was satisfied. Right away he went to the phone and dialed Rachel's number. The phone rang three times before her father answered.

"Hello, detective Richard Moore at your service. What's the problem?"

"Uh… can I talk to Rachel? It's Jimmy."

"Oh," he replied displeased. "Rachel, phone for you." Conan heard footsteps in the background and muffled talking, and then Rachel finally got the phone.

"Hi Jimmy, how's everything?" Conan felt like there was a lump in his throat.

"Um Rachel… I'm back in town, and… I'd love to go out with you." Rachel didn't answer right away, but when she did her emotions spilled out.

"I never see you, and now you come back and just expect me to act as if time has never gone by? Are you going to leave me again in the middle of everything?"

"I don't think so. I may stay here and go to college with you. I really want to see you again Rachel."

"Fine, we'll go to the movies tonight at… seven. See ya then." She hung up without saying good-bye.

**-----**

Jimmy and Rachel went out to see a movie and then eat dinner at a sushi place, but they never talked much or showed any affection towards each other. Rachel was too upset with him to speak and Jimmy was strangely thinking about Amy. At around 10pm the date was over and they went to Jimmy's old apartment that really isn't his anymore. They sat on the couch together and flipped through T.V. channels. After minutes of just messing with the remote Rachel turned it off and sat closer to Jimmy. It was awhile before they said anything.

"I really missed you Jimmy," Rachel said suddenly. "I worry about you all the time and I'm so alone without you." Jimmy put an arm around her to comfort her.

Then before he could say anything she pulled him in and kissed him. It was deeper than the kiss Amy had given him. Rachel backed away, but then Jimmy pulled her in again and kissed her longer and harder. He did things with Rachel he knew he couldn't do with Amy yet. After that kiss Rachel got up and wanted Jimmy to follow her into the bedroom. At first he hesitated, but then went after her. Soon they were naked on the bed together and the rest of that night was filled with passion, pleasure, and ecstasy.

**-----**

The next morning when Jimmy awoke he groped for Rachel, but she was gone. He searched the apartment for any sign of her, but there wasn't a trace. Jimmy quickly dressed and headed for Dr. Agasa's house to plan his death. Neither of them had any idea about what to do at first.

"I don't want it to be a suicide," said Conan. "It needs to be either an accident or a murder."

"I was thinking, it could be a 'hit and run', and then no one would ever know who did it."

"That's perfect! But somehow we need to make a life-sized dummy of me."

"Leave that to me Conan."

**-----**

The next day Rachel felt really down that Jimmy didn't show up at her college at all. When she got home the phone was ringing and her father wasn't there to answer it. She picked it up and heard Dr. Agasa's voice on the other end.

"Rachel! I have terrible news! Jimmy… Jimmy has been murdered!"……


	2. Unsolved Mysteries

**Unsolved Mysteries**

Rachel held the phone tightly after Dr. Agasa said those words, _Jimmy has been murdered!_

"How… What happened?"

"I don't know," replied Dr. Agasa. "Your father and the police are at the scene right now. They haven't informed me of anything other than Jimmy being dead."

"Where are they? Tell me how to get there!"

-----

About a block or two away from Jimmy's old apartment a crowd surrounded the fake body. People with cameras were taking pictures of the bloody corpse while six policemen were still scanning the area for clues and witnesses. Inspector Meguire stood alone staring at Jimmy's body trying to fight back tears, but wetness still went down his cheek. Richard Moore came beside him and stared at the body too.

"It's sad really," Richard said. "The kid was so young and smart, but yet he had to go like this."

"Yeah, he had a short, but eventful life. It's a real shame." Suddenly they heard a woman screaming.

"Dad, what happened to Jimmy?"

"Rachel," yelled her dad. "How'd you find out about this?"

"Dr. Agasa called me. Where's Jimmy?" The inspector pointed to the spot where it lied. She saw the dead, battered body and cried. Her father held her and she wept on his shoulder. "What ha… happened dad?"

"Well, all we have is a theory. He was walking to his apartment and it was at night so nobody else should've been around. He may have been daydreaming, and out of nowhere an out of control car came speeding down the street and the driver didn't notice him and hit Jimmy from behind. The driver continued to drive carelessly and recklessly while Jimmy was left there to die. His body was discovered in the morning and except for some tire marks there are no clues, or witnesses, leading to who the felon could be."

"There's nothing more we can do," the inspector jumped in. "We'll just have to file a report, clean up the mess, and then the case will be closed."

"Let's go home Rachel." She was as stiff as a board, but she went quietly. As they left the scene they saw the police starting to store the body in a bag and Rachel continued to sob.

-----

The next day at Conan's school the only thing he and his friends talked about was Jimmy Kudo's death. The gang got together at lunch to chat.

"It's so sad," Amy said. "He was the best detective ever."

"Yeah, I thought so too," Mitch replied, "but it's really sad that nobody knows who killed him."

"I think we should try to solve the mystery."

"That's a great idea Amy. We all can go talk to the police and ask if we can look at the evidence." Conan didn't want his friends trying to solve an impossible case.

"If the police couldn't find who did it then what makes you think we can?"

"Come on Conan," said George. "Don't you even want to try?"

"No." Amy looked at Conan sad-eyed.

"Why not Conan?" He didn't like seeing Amy like that. He already made Rachel sad and that was one girl too many.

"Ok, we'll try to solve the mystery." After he said that Amy hugged him, and Conan hugged back affectionately. It was a few seconds before they noticed that Mitch and George were staring at them astonishingly. When they realized that they both let go, and then the bell rang for class.

-----

After school instead of going to one of their hangouts the gang went down to the police station. They tried talking to a policeman until they saw Inspector Meguire walk by.

"What are you all doing here," he asked the gang.

"We want to help solve the mystery of Jimmy Kudo's death," said Mitch. The inspector laughed.

"That case is closed. No one will ever know who the culprit is." And without another word the inspector went to his office, and when he opened the door Conan could see Richard Moore sitting in the office waiting for Inspector Meguire.

"I'll see you guys later," Conan told the others. "I need to use the restroom." He watched them leave and then placed his ear against the door of the inspector's office trying to hear their conversation. He heard the two talking loudly.

"What did those kids want," Richard asked.

"They said they wanted to help find Jimmy Kudo's murderer."

"Ha. They haven't got a chance of finding that out. It'll be one of those unsolved mysteries."

"Yeah, so… How's Rachel?"

"She's an unsolved mystery too. She's been real moody the past couple of days. One minute she'll be crying and the next she'll be alright."

"I hope she feels better. Are you and Rachel going to Jimmy's funeral next Friday?"

"Yeah, Rachel's going to drag me over there with her, but she'll probably be crying the whole time."

Conan had heard enough. He slowly walked out of the station towards home. 'Poor Rachel,' he thought. 'I hope she'll be ok. It's all my fault she's mourning.'

-----

The next Friday was Jimmy's funeral and as Richard predicted Rachel was crying the entire time. Her father was falling asleep occasionally but managed to stay awake. Almost everyone at the funeral was crying, even Inspector Meguire. Dr. Agasa and Conan's parents acted like they were dejected because only they know that Jimmy is really alive as Conan. Conan didn't witness any of that because he had to go to school.

At school that day none of the gang had talked to each other, until P.E. period rolled around. Conan, Mitch, and George were dressing next to their lockers. Conan was about to put his stinky gym clothes inside his locker when someone unexpectedly slammed it shut. Conan looked and found it was Mitch who did it.

"You know what Conan? I asked Amy out on a date earlier, and you know what her answer was?" Conan shook his head. "She said no, but she didn't tell me why." Conan chose to ignore his rage and continued with what he was doing. "I've seen you and Amy together an awful lot lately. Is anything going on between you two?" Conan was silent but his facial expression gave a sign. Mitch slammed the locker again. "If something's going on you would tell me right?"

"Yeah, of course." Mitch stormed away red-faced leaving Conan and George behind.

"Why don't you tell the truth," George asked.

"I am. Nothing's going on."

"Yeah, but I think Amy does want something to go on. She told me how you both felt about each other."

"She did?"

"Yeah, and you better make a move already because she told me that she won't wait too long."

"Why not?"

"Because she said that she really doesn't know if you like her enough."

"I do."

"Ok, but don't keep her waiting." And with that George left too. Conan was alone and he sat on a bench thinking.

'Rachel waited for me a long time, for almost five years. She really loves me. Should I have chosen to wait until an antidote was found to be with her? Should I have thought about my situation more carefully?'

-----

After school Conan and Amy walked home alone together hand in hand again. Amy told Conan about things that happened to her that day, and Conan decided not to tell her about the incident in the locker room with Mitch, but he chose to take George's advice.

"Um, Amy," he started, "would you, uh, like to go on a date with me tomorrow?" Her face just lit up after he asked her.

"Oh Conan, I'd love to go." When they reached her house they hugged for a long time and kissed, but the kiss still wasn't as deep as it could've been, and Conan didn't want to rush into things.

He walked home feeling really happy with himself. Then he went past Rachel's building and saw her staring out the window with tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Conan said to himself. "I'm sorry for causing you so much pain." Then he saw Rachel cover her mouth with a hand and run away.

When Conan got home he started watching T.V. and later his father came into the room and sat beside him.

"The funeral was sad. Many people told your mother and me what a good kid you had been."

"That's nice." It was silent between them for awhile until his father started talking seriously.

"Richard Moore told me that Rachel didn't go back to school after she found out you died." Conan just stared at the T.V. but still listened. "At first he thought it was because she was too sad over you, but then he thought it was because she was sick to her stomach. So I asked Rachel what was really wrong, and I couldn't believe her answer." Conan took interest then.

"What was her answer?"

"Well… She… She told me that she… That she missed her period."...


	3. Conan's Burden

Author's Note: the disclaimer is in my profile, sorry for not mentioning this earlier. Also the text in (_this_) is a flashback.

**Conan's Burden**

Conan was speechless in shock after his father said that, _she missed her period._

"But… but," Conan stuttered, "then… that… that means… she's… she's…"

"Pregnant." Suddenly so many things were going on in Conan's mind all at once. His eyes grew wider and his mouth fell open. "I asked who the father is," his dad continued, "and she said it's you."

"I didn't mean to," Conan pleaded.

"What do you mean?"

"We spent one last night together, and I… I… It was her idea."

"Conan, I've wanted to ask you why you chose to stay this way, and I'd really like to know now." Conan searched his mind for the honest and absolute truth. He took a deep breath to relax.

"Well, as you know dad, I've been this way about five years now. Dr. Agasa has found a way to transform me back into Jimmy temporarily, but I wanted it to be permanent. I wanted to go back to being Jimmy Kudo. I hated having to worry about making Rachel and my new friends feel neglected. I wanted one life, and I wanted it right away. So I chose the easy way out, I chose to stay the way I was because it was the quickest solution. Also I thought that if I desist being Jimmy Kudo I'll have to break up with Rachel, but I couldn't because if I did she'd want to be friends, so I had to die. But I wanted one last date with her, to show her that I'd always love her. One thing led to another and, we did it." His father rubbed his forehead and sighed.

"Conan, I thought you were smarter than that. You should've been prepared."

"I know," Conan replied sobbing. "I know. And the next morning she was gone and I didn't even get to say good-bye." Conan buried his face in his hands, got up, and dully went to his room and threw himself on the bed.

-----

The next day Conan didn't want to leave the comfort of his bedroom, but knew he had to eventually.

'Why did I do it,' he thought. 'Why was I so blind? She wanted me to go with her, but why did I follow?' He pondered this for awhile before saying the answer out loud. "I love her."

Later he went to get himself something to eat. His father was sitting on the couch reading the paper when he noticed Conan.

"Are you ok Conan," his father asked.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"What's on your mind?"

"Well, nothing except Rachel, and then there's Amy. I have a date with her tonight."

"Amy?"

"Yeah, she's my Rachel now. Amy and Rachel are alike in so many ways. I guess that's why I love her too." Conan heard his father sigh again.

"You know, just because you're Conan Edogawa now doesn't mean Rachel has to be out of your life forever now too." This hit Conan real hard.

"I didn't think about that."

"Yeah, well, you made a choice and now you have to deal with it. Just don't make the same mistake with Amy as you did with Rachel."

"I won't."

-----

On Conan and Amy's date they went to an amusement park. While they stood in line for a rollercoaster Conan began to have memories.

'I remember when Rachel and I use to come here and have fun.' As he thought that Amy pulled his arm and they got on the ride. The rest of the date was filled with excitement and love.

They left when it was night, but they didn't go home right away. They found an empty alley and hid in there. Amy kissed him and she finally felt comfortable enough to kiss deeper. Conan accepted her, kissed back, and soon it became a perfect make out session. After for what seemed like forever Conan walked Amy home. When they reached her house they shared one last passionate kiss. As Conan headed home he passed Rachel's building and heard yelling coming from inside.

'Uh oh,' thought Conan. 'I guess she just told her dad the news.' Conan decided not to listen and hurried home.

-----

"Pregnant! What do you mean pregnant?" Rachel sat on her bed while her father paced back and forth in front of her. "How… How could you?"

"I told you already, one thing led to another."

"Tell me who the boy is. I'll kill him!"

"You don't need to because he's already dead. The father is Jimmy."

"Jimmy! Jimmy Kudo?"

"Yes." Her father decided to control his rage since she was already crying.

"What are you going to do now Rachel?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, are you going to go back to school? Get a job? You need to get money somehow."

"I'll go back to school, and get a part-time job or something."

"I think you should have an abortion."

"No! I'm not getting rid of it!"

"Why not?"

"Because, it's the only thing I'll have left of Jimmy." More tears swelled in her eyes. "I don't want to give it up." Her father gave a big, long groan.

"Well, if that's what you want fine, but you got to get a job to pay for the things it'll need." Without another word he left the room and yelled curses as he closed the door. Rachel lied on the bed and sobbed into her pillow.

-----

Monday when Conan went to school Amy was waiting for him at his locker. She started kissing him but Conan looked around to see if Mitch was near. He wasn't so Conan kissed her back deeply. When they stopped she started to walk to class and Conan was about to go up the stairs when someone put an arm around his neck and started choking him.

"You said nothing was going on, you lying bastard!" It was Mitch's voice and Mitch's arm around his neck. Conan started to gag and tried to run away, but Mitch was surprisingly strong.

"Let… go! Let… go… Mitch!"

"You lied to me. I saw you and Amy at the park on Saturday together holding hands and everything. Go to hell Conan!"

Conan elbowed Mitch in the ribs making him let go. Conan started running up the stairs but Mitch grabbed his shirt and yanked Conan back. Mitch started punching Conan and he fought back. People were starting to gather around them chanting "fight, fight, fight." Blood started dripping from Conan's nose and Mitch's mouth. Amy and George pushed their way through the crowd towards the fray.

"Stop it you two," Amy yelled. "Stop it right now!" George got between them and pushed Mitch down while Amy got Conan's arm and dragged him away. Mitch got up and ran towards Conan but George held him back and soon Mitch started fighting with George. "Are you ok," she asked Conan.

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Why were you two fighting?"

"Because of you." Amy was stunned. She held him close as a teacher came by to stop George and Mitch. The teacher gave the three guys detention.

-----

In detention Conan, George, and Mitch were sitting apart from one another. The teacher watching them had fallen asleep so Mitch decided to talk things out.

"Why did you lie to me Conan?"

"I didn't, at the time."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Well, after school that day I asked her out and she said yes."

"You know how I feel about her. Why'd you do that to me?"

"That's what she said," George said suddenly. Conan laughed and then remained silent.

"Shut the hell up George. Who asked you?"

"Your mom!" Before Mitch could make a comeback the bell rang.

"You two retards aren't my friends anymore," said Mitch as he dashed out the door.

"We don't need him anyway," George said to Conan. "It'll just be you, me, and Amy." They walked out of school together and Amy was there waiting for Conan. "I'll leave you two alone," and with that George left. Conan and Amy silently walked home hand in hand.

"I don't want to break up your friendship with Mitch," Amy said to the sighing Conan.

"It's too late. He doesn't want to be my friend, or George's."

"I'll talk to him."

"No, don't. It's ok if he doesn't want to be my friend. It's no big deal."

"Ok Conan."

-----

When Conan got home he heard his parents talking to someone. He entered the house and found Rachel sitting on the couch next to his mother.

"Hello Conan," Rachel said.

"Hi." His father told him to go into the kitchen and he went. Then his father went in too. "Why is Rachel here dad?"

"She said she needed some time away from her father. He's still stunned about Rachel being pregnant. She needs a place to stay, so we decided to let her have the guestroom."

"Oh." Conan looked at Rachel and saw her playing with her beautiful hair.

(_It's four years ago and Jimmy's parents just informed Conan of their return to Tokyo._

"_I want to move back in with you," he told his dad over the phone._

"_Well you can't. You're Conan Edogawa, not Jimmy Kudo. You have different parents now."_

"_Well, say that Conan's parents are dead and that you'll adopt me."_

"_That's a good idea. We'll do that."_

_The next day Jimmy's parents went to the Moore Detective Agency and told Rachel that Conan's parents were dead._

"_That's awful," Rachel said. "I guess he can stay here."_

"_Wait a minute now," Richard Moore suddenly said. "We can't afford to keep him around, and he gets in the way."_

"_It's ok. We'll adopt him," Jimmy's dad replied. Rachel started at him._

"_What about Jimmy?" Jimmy's mother laughed._

"_Jimmy's off on a case and who knows when he'll come back. It'll be nice having another kid around. Conan is perfect."_

_Soon after that Conan got his things to leave. Rachel gave him a big hug and he last saw her playing with her beautiful hair as he left._)

"Conan. Conan! Are you ok with this?"

"What? Yeah, sure."

-----

The months just flew by for Conan Edogawa. At school Mitch ignored him, but he didn't care. Amy and Conan still dated over the summer and had many make out sessions, but at home it was all about Rachel.

Rachel never went back to live where she used to. She would help Conan's mother with the housework, but then her pregnancy started showing. After that Conan wanted to help her with things. She would be sitting on the couch reading and then stand up to get some water, but Conan would offer to get it.

"You don't have to do anything," she would tell him.

"It's no problem," he'd reply then think, 'it's the least I can do after what I've done to you.' Before either of them knew it nine months had gone by.

-----

One day during the summer, before Conan was to enter eighth grade, he and Amy went on another date. They went to eat somewhere, and as they sat Amy wasn't looking at him.

"What's wrong Amy?" He held her hand and she started to get tense.

"You know I love you Conan."

"I love you too."

"I know, and that makes this harder for me." She began to weep. "My family is moving to Nagasaki next week, and we won't be able to see each other anymore." She wiped her eyes with the hand not holding Conan's.

"Why are you moving?"

"My dad got a job offer over there so we're all going. But I don't want to go. I want to stay here with you." The rest of the date was silent after that.

Conan walked her home later, but they went slowly because those few minutes would be the last they would spend together. When they reached her house they kissed longer and more passionately than ever. Amy tried to make it last longer, but Conan drew back after two minutes.

"I don't want to say good-bye," she said.

"Me either." He held her close for awhile. Then he realized that he had to let her go, so he did and left without a second glance.

When he got home his dad was sitting on the couch, instead of Rachel.

"Where's Rachel," Conan asked.

"She's at the hospital, and she had the baby."

"What, really?"

"Yes, it's a girl."……


	4. Jamie Kudo

Author's note: This time the text in (_this_) is a daydream.

**Jamie Kudo**

Conan couldn't believe what he just heard, _it's a girl._

"Can I go see her dad?"

"No, not today, Rachel is too exhausted."

"Oh, ok." Conan sadly walked to his room. 'Poor Rachel,' he thought. 'It must have been hard for her.'

-----

The next day when Conan went to visit Rachel she was asleep on a hospital bed. For awhile he watched her and thought about how beautiful she looked sleeping. Then he noticed the baby. She was wrapped tight in a pink blanket and was sleeping too.

"She's pretty, isn't she?" Rachel had awoken and startled Conan.

"Yes, she's very pretty," Conan replied and then sat in a chair next to her bed. "What are you going to name her?"

"I named her Jamie. Jamie Kudo." Conan was awestricken.

"Why Kudo? Wny not Moore?"

"She looks more like her father than me. Also I want the Kudo name to live on with her."

"Oh." Conan just stared at the floor. 'She didn't have to do that,' he thought. 'But still, it's a lovely name. I'm glad she picked it.' Jamie started crying so Rachel got out of bed to see what was wrong.

"She was crying earlier just to get attention," Rachel said as she held Jamie, and then the baby became silent again. "See, she did it again. You want to hold her Conan?"

"Uh… sure." When Rachel handed Jamie to him she didn't rebel against it. As Jamie was in Conan's arms she looked up at him and gave a little smile, then she fell asleep again. Jamie had black hair with blue eyes and a light skin tone. 'She's so beautiful.' Rachel lied on the bed while Conan held Jamie. "What are you going to do Rachel, still live with us?"

"No, I'm going to live in an apartment and my dad is going to pay the rent for it. Also I'm going to get a job to pay for other things."

"Who's going to take care of Jamie?"

"Jimmy's parents said they would." Rachel sighed. "I just wish Jimmy were still alive, so Jamie can have a father to protect her. But… I don't know."

"But what?"

"Well," she started teary-eyed, "maybe she will have a father someday." Conan put Jamie down in her bed and gave Rachel a tissue to wipe her eyes.

"Don't cry Rachel." He put a hand on her shoulder. "Jimmy wouldn't want you to be sad like this. I'm sure he'd want you, and Jamie, to be happy."

"Yeah, you're right Conan. It's just… just that it's so hard to forget and move on." As she said that a nurse came in and told Conan to leave because visiting hours were over.

'Oh Rachel,' he thought as he walked away. 'I am sorry I made you a single mother. I should've just died without ever seeing you again.'

-----

Rachel moved into an apartment a month later and her father resented paying the rent, but he did. She got a job as a secretary to pay for bills, food, and things for Jamie.

Conan went back to school without Amy. Mitch still wasn't talking to him, but luckily Conan still had George. He would see Jamie just about everyday and help take care of her. So in a way Jimmy really was raising his daughter.

The years went by slowly for Conan, but before he knew it Conan was back to where he was: seventeen and in high school. Although he now was back to normal Conan started to think of other careers, other than being a detective.

-----

One day at school during their first class Conan and George were talking about their hopes.

"Remember when we were younger we wanted to be detectives," George said to Conan.

"Yeah, so what?"

"Well, I was thinking of becoming one."

"What, why?"

"I don't know, what else is there?"

"I was thinking of being either a pro soccer player or something else dealing with mathematics."

"I thought you wanted to be a detective too."

"I don't know, I haven't decided yet." Then the teacher called Conan up to her desk and told him the counselor wanted to see him. The counselor called Conan into his office to discuss his future.

"What do you plan on doing for a career," he asked Conan.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"Well, I just haven't thought about it lately."

"You need to Conan. Aren't you going to college in a few months?"

"I guess so."

"Ok, but for what?" Conan let out a soft groan.

"Well, when I was little, I wanted to be a detective, but I don't know about that anymore."

"Why not?"

"Because… I thought maybe I could do something else."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, just something different. Something meaningful."

"Conan, being a detective is meaningful. They help keep order in this corrupt society. There aren't many good ones now since Jimmy Kudo died." Conan blushed inside after he said that. "I think you should go for it."

"I'll think about it some more."

When Conan got out of the office he saw Mitch and a girl he didn't know walking down the hall together hand in hand skipping class. They both look stoned and ready to collapse. Mitch saw Conan and gave him a menacing glare that told Conan "you better not think about taking this girl away from me." When Conan got back to class he told George about Mitch.

"I don't know what's up with him," Conan said. "Doesn't he ever let go? Why does he need to hold this grudge against me?"

"No idea," George replied. "I tried to be his friend again, and he accepted my friendship, but later I had to ditch him."

"Why?"

"He's changed. That new girlfriend of his got him hooked on drugs. Also he told me that you're a backstabber and to not trust you. I told him to get over it, but he won't."

"Man, he has issues."

-----

Mitch escaped Conan's mind when he got home and saw Jamie. She ran to him and hugged his leg.

"Conan, come play with me." He happily followed his daughter into the guestroom.

"What do you want to play Jamie?"

"Clue."

"Clue, why Clue?"

"'Cause it's my favorite game." Conan set up the game board and pieces. She was Miss Scarlet and he played Prof. Plum.

'Clue use to be my favorite game,' he thought. 'She's my splitting image.' They played for half an hour until Jamie finally won, but Conan let her win.

"It was Mrs. White, in the lounge, with the candlestick."

"You got it Jamie."

"She got what?" They both turned their heads to the door and there stood Rachel.

"Mommy, I won Clue."

"That's nice. Now get your things so we can go because Conan has other things to do."

"It's ok," he replied. "I like playing with her." Rachel sighed.

"She's just like her father. Her favorite books are the Sherlock Holmes ones."

"Really?"

"Yeah, just like her father." In the distance they heard Jamie yelling.

"Mommy, I'm ready to go." Rachel grabbed Jamie's hand and they walked out the door. Halfway down the sidewalk Rachel glanced back and saw Conan staring at them from the doorway, and then they both looked away.

-----

Eventually Conan and George did go to college and majored in criminal justice. Then after three years they graduated. Both of them shared an apartment, so Conan rarely saw Jamie, but he kept in touch with her and Rachel. The two guys started their own detective agency, but Conan mainly wrote and filed reports while George solved cases and consulted with clients.

One day as Conan was filing some papers he looked at the picture of him, Rachel, and Jamie at his apartment hanging on the wall. He stared at it and was caught in a daydream.

(_Conan and Rachel were sitting close together on his bed in his new apartment while Jamie was watching T.V. in the other room._

"_I'm gonna miss seeing Jamie," Conan told Rachel. "She's a good kid."_

"_Yeah, Jimmy would be proud." She leaned back and accidentally placed her hand on Conan's. He noticed and she drew it back quickly._

"_It's ok Rachel." He grabbed her hand and she wrapped her fingers around his._

"_Conan, I have a confession to make. Ever since you graduated from high school I've been having feelings for you." Conan remained still. "I know it could never work though. I'm ten years older than you, it wouldn't be right."_

"_What does your heart tell you?"_

"_I don't know. I just thought I'd tell you Conan."_

"_I'm glad you did." Conan lightly kissed her cheek. Then she kissed his lips, but before he could respond Jamie had yelled._

"_Mommy! Mommy, come here." Rachel got up and went to Jamie's aid._)

Suddenly Conan was back in his office and the phone on his desk was ringing. He answered it and heard Jamie on the other end.

"Conan, I'm scared," Jamie said fearfully.

"What's wrong Jamie?"

"Mommy… My mommy's gone!"……


	5. Bitter Vengeance

Author's Note: some of the things that happen in this chapter may be unrealistic, odd, and a little bit mental. I'm just letting you know beforehand.

**Bitter Vengeance**

Rachel opened her eyes after being in a dreamless sleep and found herself naked and strapped down in chains to a bed. She was positioned spread-eagle on her back with her mouth taped shut. She looked around the dim, bare room and then heard a toilet flush. A door opened and a tall figure stood there ogling her.

"Well, well, you're awake. Now the fun can begin." He started to take off his clothes and Rachel silently screamed.

-----

"_Mommy… My mommy's gone!"_ Conan was struck with fear and almost dropped the phone.

"Gone? Wh… Where are you now Jamie?"

"With your parent's. Mommy went to see the doctor and she hasn't come back."

"How long has she been gone?"

"Almost six hours. I'm scared, where is she?" Conan heard Jamie crying.

"Calm down Jamie, I'm coming over there." Conan hung up and ran towards the door. When he opened it George was standing before him.

"Conan, what's wrong?"

"Rachel," he replied. "She may be in danger, or dead. Come on!" The two quickly got into George's car and drove off.

-----

Conan and George arrived at Jimmy's parent's house around seven and stayed almost two hours. Rachel never returned. Jamie started crying after awhile.

"Where's mommy? Why did she leave me?"

"She didn't leave you Jamie," Conan told her. "She'll come back."

"But when?"

"I don't know." Jamie started sobbing uncontrollably and Conan held her. "Don't worry," he said to sooth her. "It'll be alright. It'll be alright." Jamie hugged him tight and continued to cry.

"Conan," she managed to say. "C… can you st… stay here with me to… tonight?"

"Sure Jamie, I'll stay." George bid them good-bye and left. Conan and Jamie embraced for a little longer, and then he put her to bed. After he tucked her in and kissed her forehead she drifted off to sleep. "Don't fret my daughter," he said softly. "I'll make sure Rachel is safe." He kissed her again and went to his old room thinking, 'I hope she's even alive.'

-----

The next day he went to Rachel's apartment with George to see if she had been there. After searching awhile Conan was almost ready to give up.

"Let's go George, there's nothing here."

"Wait, look!" George pointed to the phone and there was a red light blinking on the answering machine.

"So what? There's a message."

"Let's see if she called or something." Conan just shrugged. George hit the play button and a dark voice started talking.

"Hello. I have Rachel Moore in my clutches, and if you ever want to see her again, alive, call this number…" Conan couldn't believe it, and George felt the same way.

"Kidnapped," Conan yelled. "She's been kidnapped!"

"Calm down Conan, at least she's alive, for now. I'll call the culprit." George dialed the number and spoke to the dark voice. "Hello? ... Where is Rachel? ... Where? … Ransom! You want ransom? … Alright, alright, we'll work a deal… How much? … One million? … That's too much… Ok, ok, you'll get it." George slammed the receiver and turned to Conan. "What are we going to do?"

"I have a plan, but it may not work."

"What is it Conan? We need to take some kind of action."

-----

Later that day George walked into a hotel with a briefcase in hand. He took out his cell phone and dialed the number.

"I'm in the lobby. What room are you in? … Ok, I'm going up."

George entered the elevator and rode it to the eighth floor. Then he walked through the long corridor until he reached door #816. George knocked two times and waited. When the door opened the room was dim and appeared empty, but then he saw the outline of a naked body on a bed. When he stepped inside the door shut and a masked man emerged from behind it and hit George on the head with a blunt object.

-----

Conan was at his apartment sitting on his bed waiting to hear from George. Jimmy's parents were taking a vacation so Jamie was with him. She came into his room and sat beside him.

"What're you doing," Jamie asked him.

"Waiting for George to call."

"I miss mommy."

'Me too,' thought Conan. It was getting late so Conan put Jamie to sleep on his couch and decided to turn in also.

He lay awake in bed for a long time, and then later he abruptly heard the door in his room open. He looked and saw Jamie standing in the doorway.

"I'm scared Conan."

"There's nothing to fear. Go to sleep."

"Can I sleep with you?" Conan hesitated.

"Yeah, come on." Jamie slipped under the covers and Conan moved to one side. Then he could feel her get closer to him, but he didn't mind.

Soon Conan drifted to sleep. He dreamt that he was in an empty room that smelled funny. Then there was total darkness and numbness.

-----

When Conan awoke he wasn't in his apartment anymore. He was bound to a chair in a dimmed room with two beds. On one there was a naked woman and he saw by her brown hair that it was Rachel. She looked at him with tears in her eyes. On the other bed a masked figure sat watching him.

"I was wondering when you would wake up," the dark voice said.

"You," Conan replied. Then he suddenly remembered Jamie. "Where's the girl that was with me?"

"She's right here." The man patted a lump on his bed and Conan knew that it was Jamie under the covers.

"Don't you dare hurt her!"

"I won't. She's not a woman like Rachel." Conan's face went red with rage.

"Why did you do this?"

"What do you think Sherlock?" Conan looked at Rachel again.

"Why is she strapped down naked?" The man laughed.

"I thought I'd have a little fun while she's here." He laughed again which made Conan angrier. He tried to get his hands free, but they were bound too tight. "Yeah, George couldn't break free either."

"George! Where is he?"

"Over there." Conan looked to where he was pointing and found George's body motionless on the floor.

"What did you do to him? Also, how did you know I was with him and where I was?"

"Can't you figure it out on your own detective?" Conan remained silent and held a hateful glare. "Fine, I'll tell you." Conan stopped squirming and gave his full attention to the masked fiend. "Everything was going as planned," he started. "George brought the money, but I had to count it first, and so he wouldn't do anything I hit him on the head and tied him up. I counted the money and there was only $10,000 so I beat him a little. I asked what he was trying to pull and he wouldn't talk. I beat him some more and still nothing, so I had to use other methods."

"What other methods," Conan asked.

"Well, you see I got a knife, and every time he wouldn't answer a question I would dig it into his penis, and eventually he cooperated. But still, after I got the information I wanted my knife unfortunately met his neck."

"You sick perverted bastard!"

"That's what she said, about you." Conan's face got redder as he struggled more to get free. "I have to take a dump, so you don't go anywhere, not like you can anyway." He laughed and exited Conan's sight.

Conan continued to struggle with his bonds with no luck, but all he had to do was look at Rachel and he would continue to fight. Suddenly he felt his hands loosen and then his arms were free. Conan looked and saw that George had used the bloody knife to let him go. Conan knelt by him and saw that George was dead. He used his last bit of life and energy to free Conan.

After a moment of silence Conan went to Rachel's side and stroked her hair. She was still in tears. He kissed her cheek and prepared to take on the masked figure. He stood against the wall near the bathroom door. When the man came out Conan punched him in the stomach and he fell to the floor. As Conan hit the felon he kept repeating "you son of a bitch, you nasty son of a bitch" as loud as he could.

After a few minutes of reckless brawling Conan accidentally ripped off the scoundrel's mask and the fighting ceased. He stared at that 'perverted son of a bitch' with wonderment and perplexity.

"Mitch?"……


	6. Two as One

**Two as One**

Mitch was the scoundrel. He's the man who raped and kidnapped Rachel, needed a million dollars, and tortured and killed George. Conan stared at him with disbelief.

"_Mitch?"_ The foes got up from the ground and held eye contact.

"Yeah, it's me."

"But… but why? Did you do this just to get back at me?"

"Not at first."

"What do you mean not at first?"

"First it was just for the money. I need money bad. I got fired from my job and my lousy bitch of a girlfriend stopped getting drugs for me. I needed a fix real bad, so I attacked Rachel and brought her here. I used what money she had to spot some, but I wanted more. I called her apartment and hoped someone would reply so I could get ransom money, and who did? George did, and I knew you two were detectives working together, so then it wasn't about the money, it got personal. It was a perfect time to have revenge."

"Revenge for what? I never did anything to you."

"You lied to me. You betrayed me. You stole the only woman I ever loved, and because of that look where I ended up."

"It's not my fault you're miserable. You didn't need to take out your rage on me, George, and Rachel."

"My rage has only just begun!"

Mitch went into the bathroom and searched for his gun, and while he did that Conan looked around to find a weapon himself. He quickly got the bloodstained knife from George's lifeless hand. Mitch pointed the gun at Conan and he threw the knife at him. It hit Mitch's hand, the one with the gun. The gun fired but didn't hit Conan. Mitch pulled the knife from his hand and charged at Conan. He grabbed Mitch's wrists and the two were pushing against each other.

"It's not my fault you're this way Mitch. You did it to yourself."

"Whatever Conan. See you in hell!"

The two were equal in strength and neither of them backed off. Then without warning Conan kicked Mitch in the groin. Mitch grabbed himself with one hand and lunged at Conan with the knife. Conan pushed him down and Mitch's head hit the chair that Conan was tied to. Conan stood still for awhile staring at the beaten fiend. He knelt down beside Mitch and saw that his rival wasn't breathing. His neck had snapped and Conan knew that soon he would be dead. He called for the police and an ambulance to respond, but they would be a moment.

He turned to Rachel and saw a grim sight. The bullet that Mitch fired had hit her stomach. The bed she was chained to was soaked in blood and guts. Conan unfastened Rachel, took the tape off her mouth, and stood by her side, holding her hand.

"Conan," she said. "I… I'm not gonna make it."

"Yes you are. Hold on Rachel."

"Well, at least I'll be with Jimmy." Conan closed his eyes trying to fight back tears.

"Rachel… I'm Jimmy." He opened his eyes and saw her staring at him, but he couldn't tell by her expression that she felt agitated.

"Jimmy? Wh… why didn't you tell me?"

"I couldn't Rachel. I just couldn't." Rachel started sobbing and Conan wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Before I go, I want one last k… kiss."

"Don't say that. You're not going to die."

"Still, kiss me, Jimmy." He leaned in for a deep, passionate kiss. Their world seemed to melt away, but then reality struck because she had stopped kissing. Conan pulled back and checked her pulse, it was faint.

"Rachel! Rachel, stay with me!" She opened her eyes and they stared at each other for a moment.

"Jimmy. Jimmy."

"Yes."

"Take care of… of Jamie."

"I will Rachel. I will."

"I lo… love you Jimmy."

"I love you too Rachel." Then she closed her eyes and faded away. Her hand became limp in Conan's and he let her go. He lightly kissed her lips and then covered her body with the icky bed cover. He stood there in silence for awhile, and then suddenly he heard police and ambulance sirens coming from outside the hotel building.

On the other bed Jamie started to stir. She emerged from the covers and looked around the room.

"Conan," she said. "Where are we? Where's mommy?" Conan didn't answer her. His eyes were shut to lock in his tears. "Where's mommy?" He took a deep breath.

"She's… she's dead." It was silent for awhile, and then Conan could hear Jamie crying. He looked at her and she was face down on the bed wailing intensely. He sat down beside her on the bed and stroked her hair. Then she reached for him and they held hands while she cried.

When the police arrived, along with Inspector Meguire, Conan explained to them what happened. They concluded that Conan had killed Mitch in self-defense, so they weren't going to arrest him. They put the three bodies in bags and took them away. Jamie still lied on the bed sobbing.

"What should we do about Jamie," the inspector asked Conan.

"Rachel told me to take care of her."

"It's going to be hard to tell Richard that his daughter's dead."

"Yeah, I know." Conan waited for Jamie to calm down and then he took her home with him.

-----

For the next week Conan and Jamie lived in isolation. They took her things from Rachel's apartment to his, into George's old room. Conan got a call from Richard Moore one day and all he did was cry and yell at Conan, blaming him for not saving Rachel. After that Conan never answered his phone again. Jamie wouldn't eat and Conan didn't consume much food either. Mostly Jamie would stay in her new room alone and cry. Conan tried to occupy his mind with other things, but nothing worked. His thought's kept going back to that horrid day. At night he lay awake in bed for hours and his pillow would be wet with tears.

One night he finally cracked. 'I've had enough,' he thought. 'I should be with Rachel.' He went up to the roof of his apartment building and stood on the ledge. The night wind blew against his body as he looked over the edge. He saw the street busy with lively people from twenty-five stories above them. Conan stood there for awhile debating with himself weather he should lean just a few inches forward. He was about to when he suddenly heard an urgent cry.

"Conan!" He turned around expecting to see Jamie, but it was Amy. He stood there paralyzed with shook because he hadn't seen her in years. She ran to him and put her arms around him. He backed away form the ledge and fell into her embrace.

"Why are you here," he asked her.

"I heard about George." She started crying too. "I was going to your apartment and saw you leave, so I followed you here. It must be sad for you Conan." They both sobbed for awhile, and then Amy kissed him. He responded to her love and his painful memories escaped him. When she pulled away she still held him close.

"It's nice to see you again," Conan told her. "You look lovely."

"Thanks Conan." They were still in tears. "George was a good guy."

"Yeah, he was." Conan was crying harder than her, and she could tell.

"Why are you taking his death so… so severely?"

"There's more to it than just George dying."

"Tell me Conan."

"It's a long story." They sat on the floor of the roof and Conan took a few deep breaths to relax.

He told her about really being Jimmy Kudo and the choice he made to be Conan Edogawa. He told her about Rachel having Jamie, his daughter, and about Mitch becoming a druggy and his rival. He also told her about the grim day that Conan found out about Mitch kidnapping Rachel and torturing George, and how it ended by the three dying. The information overwhelmed Amy. She had no idea what he had been through, the tension and woe he had to endure. She held his hand to comfort him.

"So," she replied. "You're Jimmy Kudo, and the mother of your child is dead, killed by your enemy Mitch. And George was killed by Mitch too. I… I can't believe that. Why didn't you ever talk to me about it Conan?"

"I tried to just go with it. To just accept the consequences of my stupidity, and after what happened last week nothing else has been the same. I came out here to… to…"

"To kill yourself?" More tears swelled in his eyes.

"Yes." He thought for a moment why. "I guess I just want the pain to go away, but it never will."

"Yes it will Conan. This will all blow over soon."

"I hope that it does."

"Why were you going to abandon Jamie like that? With her mother dead you're going to have to be there for her as a father. Both of you can help each other take the pain away."

"You're right Amy. You're right."

Conan continued crying and Amy held him tight. Having her close to him made Conan feel better. After a few minutes of shedding tears they went back to his apartment. Amy stayed with him the whole night, and slept in bed with him, but they didn't have sex. Still, they held one another while in bed and fell asleep in each other's arms.

-----

Mitch, George, and Rachel's funerals were all held on the same day. Conan didn't go to Mitch's because he felt no remorse towards him.

At George's funeral there weren't many people. His parents were there, some other friends of his, and of course Conan and Amy. They held hands during the entire service and wept. When it was over they were the last people there.

"So," Conan said, "are you going back to Nagasaki?"

"Yes, I suppose so."

"Are you going to think about it?"

"Think about what?"

"About coming back and starting a relationship with me." Amy sighed.

"I don't know Conan, after what you told me I'm going to have to do some intense soul-searching. I don't know if you're the right one anymore."

"It's ok, take your time thinking it over." The two lightly kissed and then Amy left. He watched her leave thinking if he'd ever see her again.

At Rachel's funeral there were many people. There was Richard, Rachel's mother, Jimmy's parents, Dr. Agasa, Inspector Meguire, people from where Rachel worked, and others that had known her. Conan and Jamie sat in the front holding hands and crying together. But during the ceremony Conan began to think about what he was going to do.

'I'll keep being a detective. I'll rid this town of society's scumbags. I'll make sure that what happened to George and Rachel doesn't happen to anyone else, ever. That's what I'll live for.' Then he looked at his daughter. 'Also I'll live to raise Jamie, to keep her happy, and safe.'

In the middle of the service Richard Moore went to sit by Conan. He put a hand on Conan's shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he started. "I didn't mean to blame you for Rachel's death. It wasn't your fault. It's just… just so hard to keep cool when your only daughter was taken."

"I forgive you." Richard smiled and left Conan's side.

When the funeral ended Jamie didn't want to leave, but after five minutes Conan didn't want to stay. One truth prevailed, they had to move on.

"Jamie come on, it's time to go."

She replied, "Ok dad."

_**Fin**_


End file.
